25423 KIMURA Morikazu (Emerald glaze kiln-transformed crystal sake cup (90 years old))

Height 3.8cm

Diameter 9.7cm

Kimura Morikazu was born in Kyoto City in 1921. At first, he learned the basics of pottery by watching and imitating the work of his older brother and other craftsmen in the studio. In 1937, he became a teacher at the National Ceramic Testing Institute under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, where he engaged in basic research on iron glazes (Tenmoku glazes) and base materials. In 1946, he opened a pottery business in Gojozaka, Kyoto, and began researching Tenmoku glazes. In his research on Tenmoku glazes, he focused on black glazes that contain a lot of iron, and he collected rocks, minerals, and other materials from all over the world to create glazes with kiln-transformed crystals. Kimura Morikazu's mineral-glazed kiln-transformed crystal tea bowls, created using his own unique techniques, are quite popular. After working at the Yamashina Kiyomizu ware complex for 10 years, Kimura moved to Fukui Prefecture in search of an environment where he could concentrate on pottery. He set up a climbing kiln, a heavy oil kiln, an electric kiln, and a gas kiln, and also set up equipment to crush raw stones and create glazes. He especially focused on glaze research, traveling to mines and remote islands in search of raw minerals, and ordering gemstone mother stones from various countries. He not only reproduces past masterpieces, but also creates glazes that shine like never before, such as "Oil Droplet Tenmoku," "Iron Copper Glaze," "Ruby Glaze Kiln Change," "Emerald Glaze Kiln Change Crystal," and "Chrysocolla Kiln Change Crystal." The birth of this work, "Emerald Glaze," was triggered by finding a small crystal with a magnifying glass among 700 test pieces. Unlike Oil Droplet Tenmoku, which has spots like oil grains, this is characterized by angular geometric patterns, which can only be found in Colombian emeralds. In bright sunlight, emerald glaze kiln change crystal works have a strong reddish hue, and in gentle light, they have black with aurora-colored crystals floating on them, changing their appearance depending on the light. Unfortunately, Kimura Morikazu has passed away, so existing works are very valuable. This work is a masterpiece that Morikazu created at the age of 90, before passing away at the age of 94.